1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved carpet cleaning machine used in home and commercial carpet cleaning operations which allows an operator to dispense needed cleaning chemicals by remote control. These carpet cleaning machines are typically truck mounted. An operator parks the truck adjacent the customer's home or office and unrolls a sufficient amount of hose to extend from the truck mounted carpet cleaning machine to the carpet to be cleaned. The hose is of two part construction with a smaller diameter hose supplying heated water to the operator's leaning wand for carpet cleaning. A second larger diameter hose is connected to the cleaning wand which allows the operator to vacuum excess water and dirt from the carpet. A control valve mounted on the wand allows switching between cleaning and vacuuming modes.
The other ends of these hoses are connected to the truck mounted carpet cleaning machine. This truck mounted carpet cleaning machine includes a heat exchanger for heating the water which is to be used during cleaning. It also includes a vacuum pump for suctioning the excess water and dirt from the carpet and a storage tank for the used, dirty water. A small gasoline engine is typically used to run the vacuum pump and a triplex liquid pump, and heat the water.
In order to better clean the carpet an operator uses various chemicals during a typical cleaning operation. Most often used is a detergent which must be premixed with the hot water before it is sprayed onto the carpet. If an operator mixes too large a volume of water and detergent for the job, expensive detergent is wasted. If too small a volume is mixed, the operator must stop the cleaning operation and return to the truck and mix additional water and detergent, thereby wasting time on the job.
A second chemical often used during a typical carpet cleaning operation is a degreaser or "prespotter" as it called in the industry. The use of the prespotter requires an operator to around the home or office prior to beginning the cleaning operation and squirt the prespotter onto the carpet from a small hand held sprayer. This method is inefficient in requiring the operator to carry around these sprayers along with the cleaning wand.
A third chemical used is an odor remover which is very expensive and harmful to people if inhaled. Additionally, once the enzyme is mixed with water it has a useable life of 30 minutes. The amount of enzyme required for a job is often hard to estimate. If an operator mixes too large an amount of the enzyme for the job, it is wasted. Additionally, any unused water and enzyme mixture must be properly disposed of according to environmental regulations. This disposal time can be costly for the operator as time is lost from other cleaning jobs, thereby adversely affecting profitability.
A major improvement of the remote controlled carpet cleaner is the increased safety for the operator and customer. As noted above current typical current carpet cleaning operations require the spraying of chemicals prior to the carpet cleaning operation. This introduces airborne chemicals into the customer's home or office which is undesirable as the operator is exposed to the airborne chemicals during the cleaning operation. Additionally, some of the chemicals remain in the air after the cleaning operation is completed and the customer is exposed to the chemicals also. A final adverse aspect of the use of sprayed chemicals is overexposure of the carpet itself to the chemicals which can cause damage. The remote controlled carpet cleaner of the current invention eliminates these problems by eliminating the need to use chemical sprays before commencing cleaning operations and ensuring the chemicals are dispensed when mixed with water and only in the required carpet areas.
Problems associated with the current technology carpet cleaning machines include difficulty in estimating the amount of chemicals required for a particular carpet cleaning operation, the need for premixing chemicals before a carpet cleaning operation can begin, the need for an operator to carry several sprayers to dispense chemicals before and during the carpet cleaning operation, the need for an operator to make repeated trips to the truck for these chemicals, and the need to dispose of used chemicals in an environmentally safe manner. Typical current carpet cleaners require the use of a two person crew to mix the chemicals and operate the cleaning equipment. The remote controlled carpet cleaner of the current invention eliminates the need for the second person thereby saving labor costs while allowing efficient and safer cleaning operations to be performed. Additionally, the remote controlled carpet cleaner offers a substantial increase in productivity by allowing the operator to dispense the needed chemicals without making repeated trips to the truck, eliminating the need for premixing the chemicals, allowing the operator to dispense the needed chemicals in the required amount thereby eliminating waste and the need to dispose of unused chemicals. This is all done with a compact remote control unit which the operator can operate without returning to the truck or setting aside his cleaning wand.
2. Description of Related Art
Various types of carpet cleaning machines are well known in the prior art. These prior devices all fail in one or more aspects to address the problems described.